Open Sky
by XerxesRises
Summary: What happened after Snow White was saved in the season finale? Just a snippet of time between Hook and Emma. Written during hiatus, no spoilers for new season. Un-beta'd fic


Emma lay on her back, her hands crossed at her stomach, watching the tree branches sway softly in the breeze, the stars twinkling merrily down at her as if they were laughing at the crazy turn her life had taken. She could hear the fire crackling a few feet away and occasionally the soft sounds Hook made as he moved about their make-shift camp.

Emma could also hear rustling sounds off in the distance, indicating that their rescue group was still moving about their own fire. Hook had decided that it would be better to break their group up, building their fire away from Charming, Snow, and Red's camp. They could hear them off in the distance, but couldn't see through the foliage.

It was something of a relief to Emma, to be away from Snow and Charming, who were her parents, and yet, not really. Not to mention that she couldn't shake the expression in her mother's eyes when she had hugged her after Snow rematerialized before her. Those empty, empty eyes that stared back at Emma in complete confusion had nearly ripped Emma's heart in two. She found herself a bit devastated after the past few hours and she was in desperate need of time to pull herself together, to refocus on the task at hand.

Emma shifted, pulling her gaze away from the stars to search out her companion, sighing softly in contentment as she watched Hook crouch down next to the fire. He placed a few more logs amongst the flames, the firelight playing across his handsome features.

Several quiet minutes passed with Hook staring into the fire and Emma staring at Hook. He was still in the princely attire that Rumpelstiltskin had bestowed on him before the ball. Personally, Emma was thankful that her own gown had been left behind in the Evil Queen's dungeon. Her new clothes were threadbare at the wrists and neck, but they were warm and she could breathe without the restrictive corset pressing in on her sides. She was glad that Hook's own outfit was still intact, though. He looked good dressed in something other than leather. Since staring at him in broad daylight would only add to his already over-sized ego, Emma took full advantage that the cover of dark provided to appreciate his handsome profile.

She watched as a breeze ruffled the dark fringe of hair that had fallen across his forehead. The rain earlier in the night had flattened his hair a bit, but it suited him. Although, to be fair, most things suited Hook. He was, by far, the most attractive man that Emma had ever met.

It wasn't just his physical appearance that got to her so completely, if she was honest with herself. It was his humor that was borderline indecent (and most often was), his belief in "good form," his tenacity, his loyalty, and his heart. He had proven time and time again that he not only wanted her, but cared deeply for her. Normally, such a realization would scare her off into the sunset, but these past few days of travel and adventure with him, had forced her to try and learn how to deal with his affections. He'd not left her side since following her into Zalena's time portal. He'd been her guide, her comfort, her partner and she found that leaning on him had not made her weaker, but stronger.

She thought of twirling around the dance floor with him, marveling that it was just a few hours ago when he'd held her in his arms, sharing her first official dance as a princess. It had been such a stereotypical event that normally her pessimistic inner self would have rolled her eyes right out of her head, but the part of her that was still a little girl hoping to believe in fairy tales had almost died from excitement. She could still feel the butterflies in her stomach as she had danced in her massive ball gown with her handsome prince holding her close. He had literally taken her breath away several times while he held her in his arms.

Emma sighed at the memory, a content smile turning the corner of her mouth up. Hook heard the sound, soft as it was, and looked up to catch her gaze across the campfire. Emma felt her stomach drop at the look in his eyes.

"Warm enough, love?" A frown crossed his features, his jaw in sharp relief against the firelight. Not trusting that her voice would come out as anything other than a breathy whimper, she nodded and pulled her blue cloak tighter around herself. She watched as he stared at her across the few feet between them, his gaze sliding down to her lips before flitting back up to her eyes. Emma had never known anyone whose very gaze could make her knees weak like his. It was almost embarrassing how her body reacted to him.

Content that she was comfortably warm, Hook placed one more log into the flames, sparks flying up into the night air, before standing and stretching a bit. He brushed his good hand along the lines of his coat, remnants of the logs he had carried to the fire scattering into the air. Emma noted the dark circles under his eyes; since he had slept as little as she had over the past several days, she knew he was probably almost asleep on his feet.

She sat up then, watching as Hook came towards the makeshift beds that she had created while he built their fire. Snow had provided a couple of extra blankets for them and Emma had laid them out over some dry leaves, trying to create a padded spot to sleep, but failing miserable. She just wasn't much for camping out, city girl that she had always been.

Hook settled on the blanket next to hers, laying on his back, his hand tucked behind his head as he watched Emma pull her hair to one side and begin to comb through the loose strands with her fingers. If she didn't braid her hair before falling asleep, she'd wake up with tangles and twigs stuck in the mass of it. Not a cute look regardless of the era.

She separated out the three main sections she needed to start the braid, smiling down at the drowsy pirate prince beside her as her fingers began to swiftly twist her hair into one long braid that fell over her shoulder. She'd done this so many times in her life that her fingers were nimble and quick, concentration not needed for the task. Instead, she watched Hook as he followed the progress of the braid, his eyes beginning to slowly droop in the comfortable silence between them. By the time she had finished, his eyes were solidly closed with his deep, regular breathes the only movement he made.

Emma tied off the end of her braid with a hair band that she always kept around her wrist, hidden under Graham's grubby shoelace. Bringing her knees up under her chin, she wrapped her arms around her legs and watched him sleep. Without the blue intensity of his eyes staring back at her, he was almost boyishly cute as he slept. It made her heart clench with an emotion she was still a little afraid to name, but one that wasn't completely unwelcome.

The sounds from the other camp slowly faded away and Emma knew that she was the only one still awake now. She was tired, but something about watching over Hook as he slept was incredibly soothing and comforting. She spent the time listening to the sounds of the forest around them as she cataloged the features of his face.

She wondered, not for the first time, about the scar that adorned his cheek. His dark lashes lay against his sinful cheekbones and she knew that even without his typical pirate eyeliner, they made the perfect frame for his stormy blue eyes. She'd never been one to admire the closely shaved look; she loved how his beard had glimmers of red woven through it in contrast with the black of his hair. Her fingers came up to caress her lips unconsciously as her gaze landed on his mouth, remembering the taste of his kiss.

It was in that unguarded moment that Hook's eyes slid back open.

"See something you like, Swan?" Emma was thankful for the dark that concealed the flush that was radiating out from her pulse beat. If he only knew, she thought to herself. She'd never in her life known anyone who could make her absolutely _ache_ with want like Hook.

She decided to throw him off his game, to have him feel as shaken as she constantly felt when near him. "I've seen better."

"I find that highly unlikely." Those beautiful lips that she had been staring at shifted into his trademark smirk, an eyebrow going up in tandem.

"Well, there was this extremely _appealing_ pirate that I met a few hours ago." Emma knew she was pushing his buttons; he'd been extremely jealous of her flirtation with his past self. She couldn't figure out why. Most men, even if they couldn't remember the encounter,would've been quite smug about their past self making out with a pretty barmaid. But then again, Hook wasn't most men. Hadn't he proved that to her time and again over the past several days in the Enchanted Forest, let alone the past few weeks in Storybrooke?

"Men like him are all too common in the world, Swan." If she didn't know better, she would've thought that he was talking about someone other than his past self; a man of low moral fortitude. There was a note of shame in his voice that peaked her interest. _Gotcha._

"Oh, I don't know, he didn't seem that common to me." His eyes flashed up to hers, staring intently. Emotions that she couldn't name flashed across his gaze and just when she thought he wouldn't say anything in retort, he opened his lips and in the softest of voices, murmured to her,

"He wasn't worthy of you. No man that cavalier about having you in his bed could be, love." Emma's breath caught at his tone, at the expression in his eyes as he stared earnestly up at her. And just like that, he turned the tables on her yet again. God, _this_ man.

He was staring up at her, his heart in his eyes, and she couldn't think of what to say to either lighten the tension or to continue to move with the flow of his thoughts. Seconds stretched into long minutes with neither of them speaking, Emma barely breathing. Just when she thought she would suffocate under the stress of the moment, her body made up its mind when her heart couldn't.

She leaned slowly towards him, her braid dangling between them as she pressed her hands on either side of his head. She stared down into his eyes, hoping that he could see how she felt reflecting back at him. She could taste his breath, ghosting over her lips, as she held herself above him. His eyes flared up at her, challenging her to go further, to push them past this boundary that they had been skirting since they met. But as open as his gaze, she could feel the tension rolling off of him as he lay beneath her. He was afraid she would stop, afraid she'd turn away yet again, and understanding his trepidation finally gave her a voice.

"_He_ may not have been, but _you _definitelyare." And with that softly whispered, she pressed her lips against his. He seemed frozen at first and she feared that maybe she had misread the situation, but then his hand came up to the back of her head, while he maneuvered his right wrist against her back where he pressed down until she settled her hips against his.

Emma still dreamed about that kiss in the Neverland jungle; it literally haunted her dreams. This kiss, she knew almost as soon as it started, would be replacing Neverland in her dreams. He was warm, despite the cool of the evening and she loved the way his beard scratched her skin as her lips molded to his. He didn't take long to slide his tongue along her bottom lip, sharing a breath with her when she eagerly opened her mouth to allow him access. There was a moment where he sighed in the most distracting fashion against her before sliding his tongue into her heat and her toes literally curled as the scent of blackberries wafted over her.

Their kiss had started out soft and sweet, but was quickly escalating to one that was more demanding and desperate. Months of remembering, dreaming, longing all began to swirl up through her body, causing her to grasp the back of his head in one hand, the high collar of his jacket in the other, pulling his mouth closer to hers. Emma couldn't help the tremble that ran through her body as Hook tilted his head to one side, holding her in place as he alternated between nipping at her bottom lip and sliding his silky tongue along hers.

As wonderful as Hook's mouth felt against hers, Emma wanted to taste the skin along the column of his throat. She often found herself distracted by the expanse of flesh he left exposed to the world, in particular the line from his jaw down to his collarbone. Of all things to be obsessed with, she thought to herself, as she pulled away from him slightly. His hand gripped at the back of her head, his breath stilling in his chest as she paused above him.

He searched her eyes, a question posed in his.

"I'm not running." She whispered to him, brushing her fingertips along his jaw, smiling as she felt him start to breath again as he settled back against the ground.

Emma pressed a quick kiss to his mouth before dropping her lips along the sharp edge of his jaw, breathing in the scent of wood and fire that played against his skin. The bristles from his scruffy beard scratched at her tongue as she lapped at the salty taste of his skin. She pressed open-mouthed kisses along the underside of his jaw, her lips finding the erratic beat of his pulse. Sighing in contentment, she settled herself at this most tantalizing location, swirling her tongue against his pulse, alternating between bites and long kisses. She felt Hook's hips between to shift up against her in tandem to her mouth, little moans and sighs beginning to slip from his lips. She could feel him trembling beneath her, feel the hard insistence of his desire rubbing against her stomach as he moved. He moaned loudly as Emma dropped a fierce bite at the juncture where his neck and shoulder met, then soothed the bite with long sweeps of her tongue.

"You have to be quiet." She whispered against his skin, glancing up as she slid lower along his prone body. If he was much louder, they were going to catch the attention of their companions.

"_Swan_." His voice, a whispered warning, was gravely, rumbling up against her lips as Emma placed a kiss above his heart. She smirked up at him, quirking an eyebrow before sliding lower along his body.

He watched her move, his gaze taking in each of her movements. When she stopped directly above the bulging evidence of his desire, pressing an open mouthed kiss against him and blowing a rush of hot breath against the fabric of his pants, he swore and moved so quickly that Emma didn't know what he was about.

He wound his arm around her waist, hauling her up onto his lap, forcing her to shift her dress up so that she could straddle his hips, while his hand wrapped itself at the back of her head. He kissed her, rough, demanding, desperate, stealing her ability to breathe.

Hook pulled back slightly, his eyes sweeping over Emma's face, taking in her features, his gaze lingering on her lips before traveling back up to her eyes. Emma couldn't take her eyes off of him. How was it possible that he looked even more attractive? His hair was a wild mess from her fingers wandering through it, his lips were red and swollen from her kisses, a red mark blooming along his neck where she had kissed his pulse. She felt the ache in her body deepen as she took him in, her hands trembling as she grabbed at the collar of his jacket, trying to pull him in closer so that she could taste more of him.

"_Swan_." Hook repeated, holding her head in place to keep her from kissing him again. He wouldn't let her come any closer to him, so she moved in the only way she could, pressing her hips down and then sliding back up, his hardness pressed firmly between her legs, hitting her in the most exquisite spot. Hook groaned, his eyes sliding shut at the contact. "Damn it, woman, stop."

He pressed his wrist down against her hips, holding her in place so he could press his forehead against hers. Her hands splayed out across his chest, fingers tracing along the ridges of his collarbone while she listened to him try to catch his breath. Her stomach was suddenly in anxious knots, waiting for him to speak. He took one deep shuddering breath, pulling back to look at her again, his eyes dropping once more to her lips before he spoke.

"We have to stop, love." It looked as if the words literally pained him to say and since she could feel his desire pressed against her, she thought just maybe it did hurt him to say it. She pulled back, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him in question.

"You've been chasing after me for over a year now, Hook. Are you sure you really want to stop?" She popped the "p" with her lips as she swiveled her hips against him. The movement backfired a bit, though, when Emma saw stars as his cock pressed delightfully against her clit. She moaned, dropping her head back and Hook took the opportunity to press a hot, open-mouthed kiss against her throat before pulling her back up again. He sighed, brushing his thumb along her bottom lip, that awe-struck expression that she saw in his eyes every so often appearing and making her swivel her hips one more time, wanting him to see the same stars she'd experienced.

"_Stop_, Emma." His voice was all gravelly and husky, but there was a dark threat to his tone now that made her skin erupt in goosebumps. As ever with him, the pirate was never far away, which for a sane woman should be concerning, but Emma found intoxicating.

"I don't want to stop, Killian." His eyes flared at the use of his given name. She knew the effect it would have on him and tried to use it to her advantage.

"Darling, do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?" He sounded extremely put upon, his jaw set in a hardened line of frustration as he stared at her. Emma tried to lean forward again, but Hook's hand held her resolutely in place as she nipped at his bottom lip.

When she couldn't make any headway against his strong grip, she dug her fingers into his jacket again, not caring that her fingernails scrapped against his skin in the process. Her body was practically throbbing with desire for him and she could feel the same trembling from him as he held them back from their satisfaction. What was he playing at?

"God, let me taste you." Emma whimpered in frustration. She watched as a maddening smirk curled up one side of Hook's well-kissed mouth at her whine, lustful interest flaring in his stormy gaze. For a moment she thought that maybe she had convinced him to continue before the smirk disappeared and he closed his eyes as if pulling himself together for his next words. When he was finally able to speak, Emma's heart nearly stopped in her chest.

"When we finish this, Swan, and we will finish _this_," Hook's hand dropped then to the juncture where they were pressed so intimately together, his thumb sliding effortlessly against her, brushing and pressing so deftly against her throbbing clit that Emma's breath stopped in her throat as she moaned in pleasure. "it will just be you and I, with nothing between us and no parents just around the next tree to hear you cry out when I enter you."

Emma paused at that, finally remembering that Snow and Charming were mere yards away from them. She'd been so carried away that she hadn't stopped to think about the fact that her parents might overhear them. And when she was finally able to get back to the future, she knew she would have to explain what she and Prince Charles had been up to in the Enchanted Forest. Not a conversation she ever wanted to have. She flicked her eyes back up to Hook's, feeling her cheeks flame with the thought.

"Finally caught on, have you?" Hook made one more sweep of his thumb along her center, pressing deftly against her again as he pressed a hot, open kiss against her mouth. She shuddered again, pressing her moan for pleasure into his kiss. Long moments passed as his kisses slowed, becoming less and less insistent, moving from demanding back to soft and chaste. Finally, he took a deep breath into his lungs, sliding both his arms securely around her waist as tilted his head back to gaze at her with hooded eyes.

Emma took several deep, calming breaths of her own as she took in the beautiful man before her. She shifted her hips away from his, sliding back on his lap to try and put some distance between his warmth and hers. She cupped his face in her hands, trailing her thumbs along his jaw, as she sighed in disappointed frustration. His smile deepened as he leaned up to press a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"What is it, love?"

"You were right."

"Do my ears deceive me? Do tell, Swan. When was I right?"

"At the top of the beanstalk, when we met. You _are _always a gentleman." He paused at that, his eyes flaring with an emotion she couldn't quite place and it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"I can be anything you need, Emma, whenever you need it." Emma's heart seized at the sincere statement, stopping and then beating so quickly her breath caught again. She was going to hyperventilate if he kept this up.

"How do you know what I need, Hook? I don't even know half the time." She smiled sadly at him then, wondering why he even tried to figure her out at all. What did he see in her that she couldn't see in herself?

"Open book, remember, love? Besides," He pulled her tighter to him again, pressing her hips down as he pressed upwards, catching her against his hardness with a long swipe of their bodies. "I'm not _always _a gentleman." Emma's eyes shut tight at the sensations he was creating. She literally whimpered at the flare of heat that sprang so quickly to life again within his arms.

"You said we had to stop." She was able to moan.

"Hearing you say I was right had a profound effect on my libido." She heard the amusement in his voice then; he was teasing her, damn him.

"Jerk." She swatted at him, pushing against his chest so that he would stop moving against her. He thankfully stopped and she pressed her forehead against his, biting her lip as she listened to their ragged breathing in the quiet of the Enchanted Forest. It was several moments before either spoke again.

"We should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day." He whispered the words and she could hear the regret layered in it. She wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to ignore the desire boiling through her and go to sleep, but she knew that he had a point about the day ahead.

"Hook, the voice of reason." Emma snorted at that, but sighed in resignation. She slid off his lap, adjusting the long skirt of her dress to cover her legs. She looked up to catch Hook admiring the expanse of skin that the movement had exposed, causing her to flush. God, she couldn't seem to regulate her body temperature when she was this close to him.

Hook settled back down on the blanket next to her. Emma made a move to lay back on her own blanket, which was off to the side of his. His hands were suddenly reaching up and pulling her down next to him on his blanket. She froze for a moment then let all her tension rush away as she pressed herself against him. She couldn't have explained it if he'd asked her, but lying next to him like this felt more intimate than all the caresses that they'd just shared.

Hook reached over to her blanket, pulling it up and over them both. He wrapped his arm around her back, squeezing her to him before stilling.

"Get some sleep, Swan." She hummed in agreement. Despite having such a hot and heavy make out session only moments before, Emma found her eyes smoothly sliding shut as the warmth of Hook's body kept the chill away from her own.

It had been a hell of a couple of days. She'd landed in the Enchanted Forest after falling through the Wicked Witch's time portal, disrupted her parents meeting, met the Dark One in all his horrible glory, kissed a devilishly handsome pirate, danced her first waltz with an equally dashing handsome prince, watched her mother die and be resurrected, and had an intense make out session with a man that was quickly winning her heart.

She snuggled closer to Hook's warmth, wrapping her hand around his waist to give him a squeeze of her own. She tried to express in that touch her gratitude to him for following her through Zalena's portal. She honestly didn't know how she would've done any of this without him.

"Sleep, Swan." He whispered down to her. He rubbed his hand slowly along her back, soothing her and letting her settle against him as he pressed a soft kiss against her hairline. Knowing that he would keep her safe while she slept, she let her eyes close as images of the open sky and a pirate prince flitted across her eyelids.


End file.
